Lo, there do I see my father.
Lo, there do I see my mother, my sisters and my brothers.
Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.
Lo, they do call to me.
They bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla,
Where the brave, may live forever.

sorry, i'm gettgin ahead of myself. all AC's are fully ambidextrous in this game, so anything you can hold in the right hand can be held in the left hand. there are no left or right side-specific parts.

as you can see from the videos, laser blade tracking is back in this game with a vengeance. but not only that, laser blade swings can be combo'd by alternately pressing the left and right fire buttons while equipping a laser blade in both arms. it looks so sweet, i wish i could show you guys - especially since each swing has its own tracking. when both fire buttons are pressed at the same time, depending on what arms you equip, your AC will do a dual X or + slash with both blades at the same time.

blade waves are gone from this game, but like in previous games, each swing has multiple contact points.

dual parry blades cannot be combo'd and do not have tracking. you can, however, do a double fisted super punch if both fire buttons are pressed at the same time.

<!--QuoteBegin-VeilSide+Jan 2 2007, 11:52 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (VeilSide @ Jan 2 2007, 11:52 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->as you can see from the videos, laser blade tracking is back in this game with a vengeance.&nbsp; but not only that, laser blade swings can be combo'd by alternately pressing the left and right fire buttons while equipping a laser blade in both arms.&nbsp; it looks so sweet, i wish i could show you guys - especially since each swing has its own tracking.&nbsp; when both fire buttons are pressed at the same time, depending on what arms you equip, your AC will do a dual X or + slash with both blades at the same time.&nbsp;

dual parry blades cannot be combo'd and do not have tracking.&nbsp; you can, however, do a double fisted super punch if both fire buttons are pressed at the same time. [/quote:103136d6fb]
I think I'm falling in love. Without first sight.

Lo, there do I see my father.
Lo, there do I see my mother, my sisters and my brothers.
Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.
Lo, they do call to me.
They bid me take my place among them in the halls of Valhalla,
Where the brave, may live forever.

<!--QuoteBegin-Fox+Jan 3 2007, 12:48 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Fox @ Jan 3 2007, 12:48 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> No more mech-sims, bring on the arcade-y goodness! [/quote:bbde2a4b0b]
while the AC's feel a lot more... natural... and easier to move now than ever before, make no mistake: this is a mech sim. it's just that the mechs seem a lot more advanced than most found in other mech sims. when you let go of the throttle, you can really feel the weight of your AC (which are also heavier, despite being faster, than previous AC's) being thrown around at the mercy of the game's physics for a brief moment.

also, with the inclusion of stabilizer parts and the absolutely massive amounts of customization points you are given by the end of the 1p game, i have a feeling that designing an AC could potentially take much much longer than ever before. of course, you can just tell the computer to sort out all the stabilizer and customization points for you if you just wanna jump into battle quickly - and end up with a pretty good solid AC - but it probably won't be able to reach its maximum potential without a bit of of time and thought put into it. there also doesn't seem to be as many total parts as LR, but there does seem to be a lot more useful parts that aren't so obviously broken.

sorry about the double-post, but there were a few more things brought up in the other forums that i thought you guys may have wanted to read about:

<!--QuoteBegin-"Crest"+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE ("Crest")</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->From what I saw in some AC4 videos, it was disappointing. The environment was hardly realistic. You'd think that ACs boosting on the desert ground would leave tracks and cannons would gouge bigger holes in the ground.

The mission environments seem a bit better though.[/quote:f90b080ae6]
it's may not be graphically perfect, but it sure is a lot better looking when you play it for yourself than in these videos. at least, it's a hell of a lot better looking than LR.

how are the cannon ping times? are there any?[/quote:f90b080ae6]
almost non-existant. when the crosshairs go over the target, you're good to go - just make sure you choose the right FCS. it could mean the difference between a hit and... uh... LR-style accuracy.

EDIT: oh, and i partially take back what i said about the game being easier than LR. this is probably old news to some, but when you beat the game, it will give you the options of re-playing the stages you have beaten/skipped so you can play them again if you so choose. it also gives you the option of playing them again in Hard Mode. some of the Hard Mode stages aren't that much harder than normal mode - but there are a few stages where you will get f*cked up. badly.

for example, one of the stages in normal mode will pit you against 3 enemy Rosenthal AC's with the white Rayleonard AC with the wing cannons as backup. this one was not overly difficult - i S-ranked it on my second try. but in Hard mode, you have to fight four Rayleonard AC's all by yourself and you'll be lucky if you survive even 10 seconds into the mission. i think this is the mission where you unlock the wing cannons. haven't beaten it on hard mode yet tho.

it may be too soon to set this in stone - but i don't really think S-ranking a mission will unlock any parts. i think you just need to beat the mission to do that. S-ranking some missions just gives you sample AC configurations to play with, i think.

most missions in this game aren't very long at all - once you figure out how to beat them, it'll probably take you like 5 minutes or less. i'm thinking that while the 1p missions are impressive... sometimes even breathtaking... they aren't very long because the main goal is to get you familiarized with the controls and get you as many parts as possible so you can start kicking ass online, but i'm just guessing.

<!--QuoteBegin-"Crest"+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE ("Crest")</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->So does the AC4 garage have the LR feature that allows me to admire my AC from every angle [/quote:f90b080ae6]
kind of. the garage viewer is kinda dark now, IMHO. i liked the LR one better.

<!--QuoteBegin-"BL00DSTAIN"+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE ("BL00DSTAIN")</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->what about the points you were talking about to customize your generator and boosters..can you do it with other parts...like weapons?[/quote:f90b080ae6]
you can do it with other parts, but not weapons.

<!--QuoteBegin-"BL00DSTAIN"+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE ("BL00DSTAIN")</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->And can you explain how the new FCS stats are?[/quote:f90b080ae6]
from what i can understand of the japanese, there is... uh... basic lock, missile lock, range, vs ECM, and a few other stats that i don't quite understand.

(asking too much right sorry?)[/quote:f90b080ae6]
no problem. i only wish i could be more help. sorry if my reports seem vague, but my japanese is very very basic so don't set everything i say into stone or anything. this is just all based on first impressions of the 1p game in missions and AI AC's. i haven't done any vs human playtesting.

quads have the fastest ground boosting speeds and have more open slots for stabilizers. kinda high drain though, just like they were before.

RJ's seem to be the most nimble leg type and have the highest jump capabilities so they can best mimic the old boost-hopping strategies of yore. also, they're super low- drain so you have to work pretty hard to run out of EN with these. for example, here's one of the most impressive AC4 videos i've seen was <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJcS6wpF2RE' target='_blank'>this one</a>. remember what i said before about being able to OB forever? yeah.

<!--QuoteBegin-"Crest"+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE ("Crest")</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Explanations please-
<a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmhJbvSWxZQ&mode=related&search=' target='_blank'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmhJbvSWxZQ...related&search=</a>
^I assume all missiles are like that?&nbsp; [/quote:f90b080ae6]
yep. missiles are kinda like that. you probably don't even need the missile arms. i find that (Hi-acts or nukes) + (Hi-speed or verts) + basic relation extensions = crazy stuff. you can try to shoot them down even with a machine gun, but it'll be impossible from long range, not to mention too late. if they spend too much time worrying about the missiles, you can probably OB behind them or hide. if they focus on you, a swarm like that can take off like 10,000+ worth of AP easy. much more and maybe PA bust if a nuke connects.

if you have an FCS with high missile lock value, then missile tracking is simply amazing. sometimes, you don't even need the lock on and the missiles will just find the enemy on their own. you can't even boost towards and behind the missiles since hi-acts, verts, and nukes can just turn right around and keep chasing for miles.

i'm sure there's some better way to deal with a swarm that huge. flares are OK, but you can see them coming a mile away and they're fairly easy to work around. most i do is hide behind something and hope the missiles don't somehow find me and/or the splash damage won't be bad.

also, i found these vids over at RH and i think you guys should check them out too.

he seems to be using the same arms in the video. also, different arms doing the same dual karate chops can be found <a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6uwbkJs6Qg' target='_blank'>here</a>, so i don't think arm types are a factor in the type of dual strikes done when using two blades. i haven't played with dual blades too much, so i'll fill you guys in with more info as best i can when i mess with them more.

args!!! when are the PS3 Prices going down? me wanna buy... wanna buy... hmmm how much is a friggin PS3 right now? i hope it goes down to the 20k level... this is bad... im thinking of buying a ps3 just to play AC4... waaa!!!! Veil your posts are making me itch to get one...

Hmmm the play looking at the vids look more like macross / gundam type play... i hope it still retains some of the flavors of LR that we all love... or better yet come out with a ps2 version!!!

<a href='http://www.armoredcoreonline.com/acforums/index.php?showtopic=2206' target='_blank'>Heaven Sword</a><br><br>Kensaya Blades<br><img src='http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/sigagustines/Armored%20Core/kensayabushido2.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'><br><br><img src='http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/sigagustines/Armored%20Core/Blade1.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'><img src='http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b130/sigagustines/Armored%20Core/Blade2.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image'><br><br>Impossible is not a fact, its an opinion. Impossible is nothing. Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in a world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it.<br><br>I learned it is the weak who are cruel, and that gentleness is to be expected only from the strong. - Leo Rosten<br><br>Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. - Lou Holtz